By Christopher Hector
Photography: © FEI/Caremans; FEI/de Koster; FEI/Juilliart; FEI/Ryback

Smart mare owners follow the competition results to find a likely sire for their next foal. Well right now there are some likely options that thanks to the magic of frozen semen, and the whims of their owners, are either geldings... or long dead!

One emerging star on the dressage scene is the mare, Wendy de Fontaine. Bred by the late Kurt Gosmer, Wendy’s early successes (and they were many) came with Andreas Helgstrand in the saddle, although the ride subsequently passed to Isabell Werth. The mare started out as Queens Park Wendy, but along the way she morphed into Wendy de Fontaine, thanks to her Danish part-owner, Bolette Wendt who owns the eye-catching French breeding centre, Château de Fontaine.
Isabell and Wendy made their debut at Le Mans in February of this year with wins in the Grand Prix and Special on a pair of 74s. Two seconds at Aachen (not at the famed CHIO), then more triumph at Mannheim, two firsts, 77 in the Grand Prix, 76 in the Special. The only hiccup in this charmed career came with the announcement in May that the pair would not be competing in the first German selection for Paris at Balve, but they will be there ready to take their place at Aachen CHIO in the four-star.
Wendy is truly the product of the successful modern Danish dressage breeding program. She is out of Skovens Vanilla, bred by Kirsten B. Hansen and Jens Lund Pedersen at their Stutteri Skovens, home of their elite stallion, Skovens Rafael. Vanilla is by the Sandro Hit son, Soprano, out of a mare by Solos Landtinus. The Danes, like the Dutch when they turned their focus from jumping to dressage, used jumping blood with success as it was all they had. Landtinus was a 1m50 competitor by Landadel out of an Argentinus mare. So far, he has produced one 1m60 jumper, but nine Grand Prix dressage competitors.
The gelding tag comes with Wendy’s sire, Sezuan who, after a spectacular young horse career that included three World Championships with Dorothee Schneider, failed to make it as a Grand Prix horse, so in May 2022 he was gelded when his owner Arlette Jasper-Kohl decided she would like to ride him herself.

Gelded, but not before he had produced 28 licensed stallions in Germany alone, including Secret (2014/DSP out of Sewline x St. Moritz I), So Unique (2015/Rhein out of Daiquiri x Donnerhall), Blue Hors Santiano (2017/DWB out of Romanik x Romanov), Shu Fu (2017/Hann out of Freixenet x Fürst Heinrich), and So Perfect (2017/Oldbg out of Shakira x Sir Donnerhall I).
His first competition star was So Unique, a three-year-old Bundeschampion with Eva Möller. Since then, he has produced nine Grand Prix progeny, and 31 at Prix St Georges.
Another to suffer the unkindest cut when his owner decided he would be more rideable as a gelding, is Grand Galaxy Win T (2011/KWPN Apache - Winner T x Jazz). The champion colt at the 2014 Danish licensing, he is royally bred, by Apache (UB40 x Krack C) out of Winner T (Jazz x Zeolit). The then colt had a modest young horse career before he was sold in 2018 to Charlotte Jorst – an American-based Dane with whom he had a few small tour scores in the 60s. Their last appearance in April 2021 was not a success, entered in the Inter 2 for a DNS and an elimination.
As a sire, Grand Galaxy Win has been more successful, seven at small tour and three Grand Prix. His most successful foal has been Global Player OLD, out of Chatel’s Shurana (Don Schufo x Rawage Quintus) bred by Henrick Hansen. Ridden by Eva Möller, he competed in three World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in a row: fourth as a five-year-old in 2021, and the following year won gold. He was then transferred to Helgstrand rider, Leonie Richter, who took him to silver at the 2023 WBCYH.
Global Player has now been sold as a junior rider’s horse to German Marie Söhler, but he is still listed on Paul Schockemöhle’s stallion roster at a service fee of €1,300, while his two sons, Global Amour and Global (both out of Fürstenball mares) are available at €800 and €1,000)... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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